A wide range of different types of lamps and lighting systems are used in various different applications. These include fluorescent lamps, high energy discharge lamps and gaseous discharge lamps. A general drawback to such lamps, however, is that in general terms they are considered to be “non-dimmable”, that is to say they tend to have a fixed power output and are of a certain defined brightness and intensity. Generally speaking this is not desirable because the light can often be too bright and harsh, and can be wasteful on power.
For both aesthetic and energy conservation reasons, therefore, various attempts have been made in the prior art to provide such lamps with a dimming control capability so that the brightness of the lamps can be adjusted.